The State Cup is always full of surprises and exciting matches. The time to watch two evenly matched teams engage in excellent play and hard fought battles can be very exciting. This type of match was witnessed on Saturday as the 93 Premier boys faced off against Tuzos Interamerica in a second round match.

This was a rematch from last year’s State Cup in which Tuzos brought an end to the two time defending state champion’s season. This was a match that the team had been looking forward to the entire year.

From the very beginning of the match, Arsenal controlled the tempo and flow of the game with excellent passing and aggressive challenges. With misses from Ari Sanchez and Angel Luna, the thought through the crowd was that it was only a matter of time before a goal would be scored.

Finally, with about eight minutes left in the first half, there was a misplayed ball that allowed for an opportunity for an opening goal. Seconds later, the ball zipped by Devin Foy and Tuzos were up 1-0. The half ended with Arsenal down but not out.

The second half was controlled by Arsenal. Attack after attack was thrown at the Tuzos defense without them breaking. Then, with ten minutes left in the match, Alex LaPose broke free towards the Tuzos goal for a chance to tie up the match, but was brought down by a defender just outside the box. Not only was a free kick awarded to Arsenal, but a red card was handed out for the foul.

From that point on, Arsenal continued to pressure Tuzos. The only thing that slowed down the attack was the continued “injuries” that the Tuzos players continued to pick up. However, that tactic became their enemy. With less than two minutes left in injury time Tanner Clay headed home the tying goal to send the match into extra time.

The extra time began like the end of regulation, Arsenal continuing on the attack as Tuzos continued to hold them off. Five minutes into the first extra period, Adam Rodriguez rocketed home a shot that found the upper corner and sent jubilation through the team. Now, Arsenal had the upper hand.

Tuzos then began their assault on goal. However, the Arsenal defense continued to push them back. With under a minute left in the first extra period, a forward for Tuzos was able to spin and take a perfectly placed shot that found the ball just above the outstretched arms of Foy. The ball landed in the net, Foy landed on the ground and the referee blew his whistle to the end the first period. There was problem though, Foy seemed to re-injure his right knee, and possibly need to be replaced. But, with a heart of a champion, Foy, along with the rest of the team stood out in the middle of the field ready for the final extra period time.

The pace of the second period went back and forth with Clay saving a ball destined for the back of the net. Arsenal also had its chances with Pasha Brown missing a one on one chance with the only the goalie to beat. However, unlike the Tuzos’ team, LaPose came over to pick up the disappointed Brown and told him “Keep your head up, you will get another chance.”

Words of prophesy! Because, with less than two minutes left in the second extra period, Pasha found himself down the right side of the field alone. With one move, Pasha let loose a sizzling shot that beat the keeper at the far post.

Jubilation erupted as the team and fans knew he had just sealed the victory for Arsenal. With the ensuing restart and a few tries down the field, the referee blew his whistle and Arsenal had erased the defeat from last year with a 3-2 victory over Tuzos.

The win propels the team into the quarter-finals of the winner’s bracket. They face Cisco Wolverines, whom they have split with this season, on Saturday, May 3rd. If your heart can handle it, then come out and cheer on our Cardiac Kids.